Italian Journal of Anatomy and Embryology - contenuto non piu disponibile

LIGHT (TNFSF14), expressed by different cells of the immune system, binds two trans-membrane receptors: HVEM and LTβR. It is over-expressed in erosive rheumatoid arthritis and lytic myeloma-bone disease and controversial data have been published on its role in osteoclast (OC) formation in vitro. Here, we investigated the role of LIGHT on in vitro murine osteoclastogenesis model and bone phenotype in LIGHT-/- mice. Firstly, we showed that murine macrophages stimulated with LIGHT alone did not differentiate into OCs. Interestingly, the presence of LIGHT and sub-optimal RANKL concentration displayed synergic effects on OC formation through the early and sustained activation of Akt, NFκB and JNK pathways. Secondly, by microCT we found that the femurs of LIGHT-KO mice exhibited a 30% (p